1
as in destroys
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
developers demolished the old warehouse to make room for the new shopping mall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shatters
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the buildings in the town had been demolished in the bombing raid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in smashes
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
terrorists used a powerful pipe bomb to demolish the concrete wall around the compound
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Recent Examples of demolishes
The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolishes
Verb
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And God does and kills everybody and destroys everything.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
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His stance joins a bipartisan chorus, including GOP leaders and Governor Shapiro, warning that inciting violence against Jewish neighbors destroys the path toward peace.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After a possible murder shatters shatters the lives of three women in a decades-long friendship, Imperfect Women kicks off into a high-octane thriller that is sure to keep us guessing until its final minute.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
4 Feb. 2026
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Imperfect Women, created for television by Annie Weisman and based on Araminta Hall’s novel of the same name, examines a crime that shatters the lives of a decades-long friendship of three women.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sammie smashes Remmick over the head with his guitar before the vampire can sink his claws into him.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
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The bike then smashes into a metal barricade before coming to rest against a parked car.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s, in fact, a lot of narrative chaos in the movie’s last third, from a pyramid scheme that ruins Junyang’s professional ego to the fact that Lydia, once she’s given birth, is basically cut out of the picture.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
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When fans see an exciting big hit, thinking about how the players might not know their own family members in 30 years ruins the fun.—
Eleanor M. Perfetto,
STAT,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There would be more victories and blows after Beijing.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
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Whitney is gazing into the middle distance, contemplating a runner on a Lithuanian passport, when Ferdinand blows the world of season four apart.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kyiv residents endure long daily blackouts as Russia devastates the power system, leaving tower block dwellers freezing in apartments with no heat or light.—
Derek Gatopoulos,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2026
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Exacerbating the problem, unpredictable rainfall cycling between drought and floods further devastates the region.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a film like this, you’re ostensibly meant to root against the terror that the central characters wrecks on his victims.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
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This process wrecks kidney and heart tissue, causing the heart to enlarge and blood vessels to become stiffer, impeding circulation and setting the stage for clots.—
Jyoti Madhusoodanan,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolishes. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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